New Beginnings
by something like human
Summary: Wufei thinks he is getting a chance at a new start in life when he is moved to America to start up a division of the Preventers there with Duo. He never thought his new beginning would involve people from his past. (2x5x2 established)
1. 1

Title: New Beginnings

Author: Something Like Human

Rating: PG

Warnings: YAOI (2x5x2), slight spoilers to GW, EW, and EpiZero

Disclaimer: Human doesn't own Gundam.

A/N: Again, I have really only read the manga.Although, my artificial little sister, juu, has acquired the DVD of Endless Waltz and we have drooled over that a few times. But regardless, my knowledge of the series is vastly different than one that has watched the entire anime.

Who would have thought things would turn out this way?When I left my parents home when I was fourteen to be married to a stranger and live the rest of my life being a devoted husband and father to my new family, I had no idea that by the time I was eighteen I would be where I am now. I am already a widow, a veteran of two wars, and now one of the top Preventers.

I guess that gets you up to where I am now. I am sitting in my new office looking out my window to an unfamiliar city.Une decided recently that the Preventers needed more offices throughout the world and sent her top agents out to set up headquarters. I don't know why she choose me to help set up a division in America but here I am.I am seemingly a fish out of water here but I think I will like it. Then again, I'm not alone here. Maxwell is here with me.

I was a bit leery about coming to this city but Maxwell jumped on the chance so I allowed myself to be drug along without so much as an argument.Most people wonder about us.We are seemingly so different but I guess that is what we want people to see. We both have first hand understanding about what it is like to loose everything to war even though our 'everythings' were vastly different. My rich and high cultured childhood and his poor and deprived one are hardly comparable other than the fact that we lost everyone we had ever loved.

But that's dealing too much in the past for my tastes. We are both getting a new beginning now. Here in the city, we are not known as 'Une's pets' because of our seeming uncanny ability to successfully accomplish difficult missions that the other agents who are twice our age could not.One of these days, I'm just going to tell those uninformed idiots that if doubt our abilities because of our youth, then they can take it up with our Gundams. But then again, none of us want the publicity that would come with the discovery that five teenagers flew those machines of death and peace.

I look back down to my desk and glance over the reports the new agents filed for the day. We've got a good group here. A few old soldiers and lots of new recruits make up the ranks here.Some of them had reservations about working for two boys who looked like they should be in high school, not wearing the uniforms of high-ranking Preventers uniforms. What doubt they did have is either gone or well hidden now because both Maxwell and I work them hard and prove to them daily that we know what we are doing. 

My partner bouncing into my office holding the keys to the building's door interrupts me in my work.I look over to the clock and realize that it is past quitting time already.I would probably forget even to eat or sleep if Maxwell did not take it upon himself to drag me away from my office and take me home at night.Don't get me wrong, he works long hours too but he knows when to put the work away for the day and to resume life outside.

I tidy my desk, grab my jacket, and shut off the lights while Maxwell runs a check on the rest of the offices and turns off neglected lights and locks everything up tight. We both meet up and head out the front door, pausing only long enough to lock it before we start walking down the street towards the subway.We both could drive to work, Maxwell in his sports car or I on my motorcycle, but we liked doing something mundane everyday like riding a subway like normal kids our age. 

As usual, my partner chattered away about what went on that day in the office.I listen even though I appear not to.I always watch the people on the street while we walk. I guess it's something that I picked up over the years of knowing the other pilot.At some point, he had shown me the fun in people watching and I got hooked. When we reach the subway train, we would both watch the other passengers and hypothesize the stories behind each of them. 

The story of Preventer Monroe getting chased by a Chihuahua while investigating this morning was lost on me as something caught my attention.Across the street I could see two people moving through the crowded city streets.I stopped and blinked a few times trying to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Just before they slipped deeper into the throng of people, I saw them clearly enough to know that I was not hallucinating. 

Maxwell tugged my jacket sleeve and I turned to look at him.I think my eyes were probably about as large and round as his usually are.He looks at me quizzically for a moment and I shake my head. He shrugs and then pulls me along after him.If we waste any more time we'll miss our train and have to wait for the next one. 

When we finally reach our apartment, I still do not know what to think about what I saw. I try to ignore it and go about our normal after-work routine.Lady Une had apologized for the lack of funds to get two separate apartments for us but we assured her that it was no problem. Maxwell had never stayed in his room in the Preventers barracks when we worked with her, why would here be any different.No one needed to know that only one bedroom had been furnished as such and the other was the beginning of a library.

I get the can opener out to open the cat food for Sinatra, our blue-eyed kitten with more class than Trieze Khurenada ever had. Maxwell chuckles as said cat meanders his way over to his food dish with his tail held high.After feeding the master of the domain, I start to help the other human in the kitchen with making dinner.Maxwell wipes his hands on a tea towel and leaves the kitchen in search of dirty laundry.When we meet up again at the dinner table, we sit in silence for a moment.We both know that something has bothered me since our walk to the subway but as always, I am left to explain things when I am ready.

"Max," I begin quietly.He looks up at me gently."I saw my family today on the street."

"Your family?" He gasps."I thought your family had died during the war."

"Most of them did," I explain."I know some are still living on Earth but I was never close to them as a child."

"I take it who you saw were not those relatives if it has been bothering you all evening."

"No, they were not," I state."I thought those two were dead.I had not seen them since my marriage to Meilan and had assumed that they had died along with the others."

"Are you sure it was them?"He asks."I mean, there is a large Chinese population in this city.Are you sure they didn't just look like them?"

"Max, it's very hard to mistake someone else for your own mother and brother."

Tbc…


	2. 2

Title: New Beginnings

Author: Something Like Human

Rating: PG

Warnings: YAOI (2x5x2), slight spoilers to GW, EW, and EpiZero

Disclaimer: Human doesn't own Gundam.

A/N: Again, I have really only read the manga.Although, my artificial little sister, juu, has acquired the DVD of Endless Waltz and we have drooled over that a few times.But regardless, my knowledge of the series is vastly different than one that has watched the entire anime.

I seemed to have surprised Maxwell because the rest of our meal was relatively quiet.I was too lost in thought to say much more than I had at the time. There were too many questions that I was afraid to ask but nonetheless I knew that I would have to.I just ghosted around for the rest of the evening going about doing the dishes and other chores.It was not until I could not find anything else to keep myself busy that I allowed my partner to pull me down on the couch with him.

"Are you going to contact your mother?"He implored looking into my eyes.

I took a deep breath.That was one of those questions that I was avoiding asking myself.I wanted nothing more than to run back to my mother like I was a child again.To be seated at her feet listening to her read from one of the classics for hours on end. I wanted to return to the time when the most I had to worry about was when I would be returning to boarding school in the fall, or what my mother was making for dinner, or whether my brother would figure out who put cricket in his room that was keeping him awake at night.But I knew that it was no longer possible.That time was before my marriage, before both wars, before I had seen the world outside of my parents' colonial home.

"I…" I started."I don't know."

"I can't believe that.Why not, Fei?"  
I looked away from him.I did not know how to put into words what exactly I was thinking.I felt his hand under my chin and turning my head to face him again. He gave me a small smile of encouragement before he spoke again.

"You have a chance that I couldn't even dream of.You can be with your family again even after you thought you lost everything in that damn war.Fei, if that was me, I'd have just run after them on the street and not let go of them."

I sighed.Sometimes I wish I had his enthusiasm for things and his impulsivity."It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

"It's been four years…a lot has changed since I saw my family…"

"You're afraid of what they will think of you now, aren't you?" He asked as he smoothed a wayward strand of my hair back. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure they will see what an amazing person you have become. Then again, my opinion of you is biased."

I chuckle and lean back into his arms."You're right, your opinion is very biased.But the truth of the matter is, I am so different now than what my family had wanted me to become that…that…"

"That you're afraid you'll disappoint them?"Maxwell finished."I know you were a student and expect to be a scholar but you are so much more than that now. They can't help but see and be proud of who you are."

"It's not just who I am but what I have done.Max, they don't know about my being a gundam pilot."

"Oh," he said.

"Yeah, oh."

"And here I was worried about what they would think of you and I," he muttered as he tightened his arms around me. I had not thought of that and he had a point. The last my family saw me, I was married to Long Meilan and taken into one of the most powerful and traditional families on L5.Now I was with an American with no family and was also male. 

"That thought hadn't even crossed my mind," I admitted. I was not ashamed of Maxwell, nor he of I, but we just choose not to make our private life a public issue. 

"Isn't this a plot to some old melodrama made for tv movie?" He joked.Then he slipped into a really exaggerated surfer-punk or something voice."Yo, Mom!Long time no see…this is my hot American lover.We were in the war together blowing shit up!"

I chuckle at his antics. Somehow he can make me laugh at myself even when I can't find anything funny."I don't think so Maxwell. I don't know what I'll tell them but I don't think dropping all that on my family's lap as soon as they see me would be the wisest course of action.And besides, I don't even know where to find them."

"Well, we can remedy that easily," he replied jumping up from the couch. I followed him into our little library to the computer we had in there."What are your mother's and brother's names…besides the obvious 'Chang'."

"My brother's name is Chang Seung. Most likely, he'll be the easiest to find."

After a quick search, we had a screen full of information on my older brother. It seemed he did not live to far from our Preventers office. I did not read any further on the screen. Everything was a little too surreal for me. Somehow through years and thousands of miles on land and in space, I had wound up living in the same city as my family.

"I didn't know you were the little brother, Fei!" Maxwell teased. "I always pictured you the big brother, protector type."

Again, he has made me laugh."No, I was the bratty little brother who was always getting in trouble for pulling pranks on my big brother and trying to sneak around to do the things he was doing.I did play the big brother to our baby sister and tried to protect her when I was home.Jai Li was only four when I left home."

"Somehow I can a little WuFei getting scolded for something or other," my partner laughed. He sobered for a minute."Why haven't you talked about your family before?"

"I thought they were all dead," I shrugged."And even now, the only one we know for sure is alive is Seung."

Maxwell stood up and hugged me tightly."But that's a miracle in itself.You have been given a new chance with your family. Anyways, now I don't have to wait for you to tell me all about your childhood, I can just go and asked your brother just what pranks you pulled on him."

"Maxwell…" I warn as I catch the sparkle in his eyes that can only mean that he is plotting some sort of mischief.

"Chang…" He replies. "Anyways, if you would have told me before of your fondness of pranks, we could have really got the other boys good during the war."

"I did not think the war was the time or place for childish pranks, no matter how good they would have been."  
He sighs and holds me for a minute."Wait…it was you who replaced all my candy bars in 'Scythe with granola, wasn't it?I thought it was Heero-I-have-no-sense-of-taste-Yuy who did that."

"That was a good one…it was kind of hard disposing of all that chocolate without getting caught."

"So are you going to call your brother or are you going to pay him a visit?"

I took a moment to think.A reunion with my family was a little too important to do over the phone. "I think we are going to go visit him."

"We?"

"Of course, 'we'.You don't think I'd go into a new situation without my partner to back me up, do you?"

"Leave it to old soldiers to think of everything in terms battle plans."

"Would you rather I have said, 'I want you to go with me to hold my hand so I don't chicken out'?"

"No…but are you sure about me coming?It may make things awkward?"

"It may make things a little strange but if things weren't strange then it wouldn't be our lives, right?"

"You got a point. So we going there after work tomorrow?"

"Eh…I…er…was," I stammered. Somehow actually committing to seeing my family was making me nervous about all the bad things that could happen.

"That settles it!" Maxwell proclaims. "We leave the office at 5 o'clock tomorrow and walk down to pay a little visit to your big brother."

Tbc…


	3. 3

Title: New Beginnings

Author: Something Like Human

Rating: PG

Warnings: YAOI (2x5x2), slight spoilers to GW, EW, and EpiZero

Disclaimer: Human doesn't own Gundam.  

A/N: Again, I have really only read the manga.  Although, my artificial little sister, juu, has acquired the DVD of Endless Waltz and we have drooled over that a few times.  But regardless, my knowledge of the series is vastly different than one that has watched the entire anime.

At five till five, my over-exuberant partner is already trying to push me out the door.  He sent the other Preventers home early, saying they needed a Friday night off for once.  We go through the motions of locking up the office for the night and meet each other by the front door.  But before we can leave like we normally do, Maxwell proceeds to straighten my clothes, smooth my hair back, and kisses me gently on the lips. 

"There, you look good!" He exclaims.  "I wouldn't want you to go out there not looking your best."

I smile at him again and then take a step out the door.  I take a deep breath and wait for the door to be locked. I must be lost in thought because I feel Maxwell tugging my arm to guide me down the street. He lets go of my arm when I start to move on my own accord.  I keep thinking about what will happen when we reach my brother's home. I call it thinking, Maxwell would call it worrying. 

I am pulled out of my thoughts when we stop in front of a door. I look at the number and see it is our destination. There is no more time for me to worry; this is it.  We climb the few steps onto the porch and Maxwell drops behind me but still remains close enough that I am aware of his presence. I lift my hand slowly and knock on the door. I wait for someone to answer the door and I am vaguely aware of holding my breath.  I almost gasp though as the door opens partway and a little girl looks up at me.  That cannot be who I think it is. 

"Um…Hello?   Can I help you, sir?"  The child asks me.  She is just a petite little thing; her dark hair cut level with her chin and bangs hanging down to her dark eyes.  She is wearing a school uniform to one of the local private schools. It is one of the best ones in the city if I am correct.  

"Um…" I am at a loss for words.  I don't exactly know what to say; do I ask for my brother or do I just tell her who I am.  

"Are your parents home, sweetie?" Maxwell asks bailing me out.  

"Uh, hold on," she replies while taking a long look at my partner and I.  I do admit, we are a rather strange pair.  She turns her head slightly at a noise inside and the door comes open a little bit more.  I can see the person that has come up behind her.  

"Who's at the door, Jai Li?"

"Um…two guys in uniforms, Mama."

Looking up at the same time, our eyes meet.  On the other side of the threshold of the house, is my mother.  Time seems to stand still as we look at each other.  She takes a few tentative steps forward to get a closer look.  

"It can't be…" she gasps.  I merely nod my head slightly before I bow to her.  By the time I straighten up, she is practically on top of me and is pulling me into her arms.  In the past, my family has never been very affectionate and never prone to public displays. I think this is an exception to the rule because it is not every day your family seemingly comes back from the dead.  So, I hug her back as tightly as she is hugging me. 

"Mama…" I murmur into her hair. She is slightly shorter than I remember her but then again, I have grown a few inches since the war.  I have not grown as much as my partner for he is almost a head taller than me now but I am at least about average sizes for someone my race.

She pulls back to look at me at arms length.  I can see tears glistening in her eyes just as I try not to let my own show.  We are both smiling more at each other than I ever remember us doing.  I do not think that either of us knows where to start.

We do not get a chance when I hear a deeper male voice from another room.  "Who was at the door?"

"I dunno, big brother, but Mama is hugging one of them."

It seems that my little sister does not recognize me but I did not think she would. I look up just in time to see Seung's face as he walks into the foyer with us.  He has the most bewildered look about him until he sees me.  Then shock is predominant on his face. His mouth hangs open and his dark, slanted eyes are about as big and wide as Maxwell's.  Somehow this is too much for my emotionally stressed body and I start laughing.

"What…WuFei?"  

I bow at my brother while I try to stifle my amusement at my brother's reaction.  "Hello, Seung.  May we come in your home?"  
He nods mutely as our mother pulls me in with her. I am vaguely aware of my partner following me in and silently closing the door behind us.  I kick off my shoes and allow my family to direct me into a nicely furnished living room.  I am sitting on the couch with my mother beside me and brother is across from me in another chair. Maxwell makes himself comfortable leaning against the doorway.  

"How can this be?" Seung starts. "We thought that…that…"  
I look down and try to prepare my answer when Jai Li's voice draws everyone's attention to her. "Who are you anyways?"

My mother draws her near and stands her in front of me.  I try to smile warmly at her to reassure her but she still does not seem to know what is going on.  "He is your brother, WuFei," my mother tells her.

"WuFei?"  The little girl asks.

"Yes, Jai Li, it is me," I reply.  "You were just a tiny little thing the last I saw you."  
She bows to me in apology.  "I think I remember you.  You had to leave with a girl." 

I nod in response to her bow.  "Yes, you remember well for being only four."

"So where have you been?" My brother cuts in. He still has as much patience as I remember him having.  "The last we heard from you, it was right after Long Meilan's funeral after the attack. Where have you been for four years?  As far as we knew, you were dead with the rest of the Long Clan.  There are no records of you from that point on.  It's like you disappeared completely."

I can hear Maxwell chuckle slightly.  Unlike himself, Yuy, and Barton, Winner and I had pasts and families that could be used against us during the war. With some tricks in paperwork and tampering with records; neither of us existed during the war. Winner picked his life back up after everything was over but I never saw the need.  I had thought that there was no need.  And besides, Une put blocks on all our files to prevent information about the Gundam pilots falling into the wrong hands.  Only a really talented hacker can get into those files, which delights my partner to no end when he can get through Yuy's program and change his file. I will never forget the look on Yuy's face when he noticed his file said that he was female.

"You could say for a while I did disappear," I finally responded.  I did not want to go into my experiences in the war just yet so I tried to change the subject.  "I could say the same for all of you. I thought you were all dead!"

"You knew I was working on Earth, brother, when you left home."

"Things were a little stressful with the Long Clan, so you will forgive me if I forgot a few things," I explained. "Anyways, the last I knew, you were all on the Colony. How did you end up here?"

"I left the colony to Seung," my mother explained. "I sent a message to you that we were visiting your brother and his wife on Earth.  You must not have received it.  I never got a reply back, it was like you had disappeared right after your wife died."

"You could say I did. There were things I had to do for her and her family," I reply. I know I am evading telling the truth but I do not know if I want them to know of my involvement in the wars.  

"Seung!" A feminine voice calls from upstairs.  "Did I hear someone at the door?"

"Is that Mei-Ling?" I ask.  I always thought fondly on my brother's wife.  She was gentle and quiet which was the exact opposite of my wife. 

My brother nods at me and calls his wife to come down for a minute. When she enters the room her eyes are first drawn to Maxwell standing by the door. He smiles and bows to her with as much decorum as he will ever have. She responded by bowing deeply to him as a woman should to a man she does not know. 

"How may my family help you, Preventer?" She asks my partner cordially as she notes his uniform.  Somehow I had forgotten that we were both still dressed for work and that it might lead to some difficult questions.  Sure enough, my mother and brother look first at Maxwell and then at me. Then back at Maxwell as if it is the first time they are seeing him.

"Oh, I'm not here for your help, ma'am," He replies and nods towards the couch. "I'm here helping your family."

My sister-in-law gasps as she sees me for the first time in four years. She whispers my name in surprise.  I stand and bow to her as she does the same. I stand straight and look around for a moment. 

"I am sorry, I have been very rude. This is my partner, Duo Maxwell," as I speak, I mentally let them choose how to take the word 'partner'.  "And Maxwell, this is my family."  
We continue introductions with lots of bowing from my family and smiling from my partner. He bows quite deeply to my mother to show respect.  But surprisingly, he actually gets Seung to shake his hand like an American.  When things quiet down, it is Seung that seems uneasy.  He looks at Maxwell and I for a moment and then asks, "Is Mei-Ling correct?  Are you both Preventers?"

I mentally smack my own forehead.  This was one of the topics that I had wanted to avoid for a while.  I should have thought about wearing the uniform. I have been wearing it for so long that most of the time I forget about it. How do I explain to my family how I, at eighteen, have gotten to be a high-ranking Preventer in only two years. 

Tbc…


	4. 4

**Title:** New Beginnings  
**Author:** Something Like Human  
**Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** YAOI (2x5x2), slight spoilers to GW, EW, and EpiZero  
**Disclaimer:** Human doesn't own Gundam.   
**A/N:** Again, my fics are based off the manga, so blame inconsistencies on that.

Also, this is NOT part of the "The Storm Arc". It is entirely its own work, it just so happens to have the same main pairing.  Sorry for the confusion!

.................

I look at my family for a moment; they are all waiting for me to answer my brother.  I am really not excited about telling them that we are indeed Preventers.  I guess I could take a page out of Maxwell's book and just tell them the truth.  He always conveniently forgets to tell people that although he never lies, he does not commit to telling the whole truth. 

"Yes, Mei-Ling is correct," I admit.  "We are both Preventers.  That is how we ended up here."

I did not lie; I just told them a version of the truth and then gave them more information than what was asked for so that perhaps they will lead the conversation elsewhere.  I have learned a lot from my partner since the war.  He is a lot like Barton in that everything he says has a distinct purpose.  Trowa usually only speaks when it is important that he informs someone of something or seeks information.  Maxwell opens his trap when he wants to tell you something, ask about something, distract you, or persuade you.  I am hoping that I will distract them.

"But," my mother starts. Somehow I think that I should leave the verbal distracting up to Maxwell from now on. She seems a bit upset. "You are still so young, how did you ever get to be Preventers?"  

"We just happened to be at the right place at the right time when they needed people like us," my partner explains.  "They had spots to fill and we were talented enough to fill them."  
  


"So you're saying that they let people as young as you two defend peace all over the world." My brother asks in disbelief.  He is staring hard at Maxwell like he does not think he is telling the truth. Of course, from his perspective of not knowing Duo, that would be a very logical assumption.  He does not look like he is one of the most dangerous people in the world, with his smiling face and beautiful-yet-unique hair. 

"Well, yeah," he replied. "You'd be surprised at who all make up the ranks of Preventers….ex-Ozzies, ex-soldiers, mobile suit pilots; new recruits…There are a lot of young people although I believe we are among the youngest."

"That's reassuring…" Seung mumbles causing Maxwell to laugh. 

"And here I thought since 'Fei has absolutely no sense of humor that his whole family would be the same!  But at least you have mastered sarcasm!"  

"Maxwell!"

Jai Li started giggling at us.  

"What's so funny, Li-li?" I ask her as I reach over to tickle her a bit. She squirms and giggles even more.  I can hear the rest of my family chuckle at us as I continue to tickle my baby sister.  I am so engrossed in making her squirm that the hands on my sides startle me and I let out quite an undignified yelp of my own as I am tickled.  Looking back is hard as I'm trying not to laugh but I see that it is Seung who is my assailant.  Jai Li escapes as I try to squirm out of my big brother's grasp.  When I cannot get away, I do what I have always wanted to do: I flip my big brother over the back of the couch and pounce on him.  Since he is a few years older than me, he was always much bigger than I when we were kids. Then again, I also was not much of a fighter when Seung was living at home so even though he is still taller and heavier than me, my technique is that much better. 

"Boys!" Mother reprimands sounding like she did when I was about six. "Either quit or take it outside. No fighting in the house!"

Seung and I look at each other and chuckle.  I get up and give him a hand up.  Once standing, I notice that Maxwell is shaking his head and laughing at me. 

"This is great, can I be adopted?" He asks my mother as he wipes his eyes.

"What? The diving over furniture and constant mayhem in this nutty family?"  Seung suggests.  "If we were still kids, Momma would make us do extra chores for antics like that.  And Father would have reprimanded us on poor technique and made us practice more!"

"Well, that and the closeness you guys all have."

"You're not close to your family?" Mei-Ling asks my partner. 

"Never had a family, actually. I spent some time in an orphanage back on L2," he explains glazing over the truth, as he is so apt to do.  "But that's the closest thing I've had to a family.  Well, that and my friends now, WuFei included."

I pat him on the shoulder as I move to sit back down on the couch.  He smiles at me and looks back to my family.   They are all regarding him after what he said. I hope they see in him what I do: That he is a great person no matter what his family background is.

"Poor dear! You're an orphan?" My mother gushes.  "How horrible that must have been for you – especially during the war!  You must have been so lonely."

"Well, ma'am, that's kinda what got WuFei and I to become friends," he explains.  "We met around the time the colony was destroyed and he thought he lost his family also.  From that, we kinda started talking and became friends…regardless of how different we appeared."  
  


"No offense, Mr. Maxwell," my brother replied. "But you don't exactly seem like…um…"

"I don't look like what you think a Preventer should nor do I look like someone WuFei would be friends with?"

"Bluntly, yeah."  
  


We both chuckled.  "I get that a lot." He replied.  "Of course, I also get mistaken for a girl a lot too. So I can't really be offended by how people perceive me."

Just then we were interrupted by my little sister, "Momma, can I go watch TV?"

We all looked at her, Duo and I in confusion.  What could be so important that it would infringe upon a reunion with long lost relatives?

"Please? The princess is on!!!"  Jai Li gave her best attempt at puppy-dog eyes to Mother and I almost laughed out loud. My sister was a charmer.

"Oh all right, I know how much you like to watch her," my mothers conceded.

"Who does she want to see?" I asked still slightly confused.

Maxwell beat them to an explanation.  "'Lena's giving a speech tonight. We completely forgot!  I was going to set a tape for it so we could watch Lena and her boy-toy!"

"Maxwell!" I scolded at the 'boy toy" comment. Sometimes Duo can be so uncouth.

"Boy-toy?" Seung inquired looking thoroughly confused.

"Yeah, Relena's chief security officer and personal body guard," Duo answered. 

"It's on!!!" Jai Li hollered from the other room. We all went in to watch the speech.  Duo and I stood behind everyone and scanned the image on the screen for familiar faces.

"Isn't she pretty, Momma?" Jai Li asked.  "I want to be like her when I grow up!"

Maxwell chuckled.  "At least she isn't wearing pink any more!"

"Enough with the pink comments," I chided.  "Yuy almost beat you up the last time you referred to her as Princess Pink."

"Who?" Seung asked looking at me for an explanation.

Duo walked forward to the television and pointed to someone standing just to the right of the podium where Relena was speaking from.  "Heero Yuy, personal body guard to Relena Dorlian Peacecraft and private boy-toy as well."

"Stop it with the boy-toy bit, Maxwell, there is a child in the room!"  I reprimanded.

"You know him?" Seung asked.

"Boy-toy? Does that mean that he's her boyfriend?"  Jai Li interrupts with wistful enthusiasm.

"Umm…Yeah." I blanket the answer.  "We met him around the same time we met each other.  Sometimes we work with him with the Preventers.  And yes, they are in a relationship."  
  


"Finally, Lena sure did chase him enough before she caught him."

"You know the Princess?" Jai-Li exclaimed.  She was so excited she almost seemed to be bouncing.

"Yeppers, little Miss," Duo explained.  "I met her the same day I met Heero."

I start laughing. I had only heard the story from three different perspectives many times each and it was still funny.  "It seems that Heero had his gun pulled on Relena because she startled him," again only a version of the truth.  "And Duo happened upon the scene and thought he would defend the girl, who he did not know was Relena Dorlian – for she had not even found out yet that she was the Peacecraft Princess.  Duo proceeds to shoot the gun away from Heero and when he charges him, Duo shoots and grazes Heero in the arm and the leg. Then it all gets funny. Relena, for some reason that I've yet to understand, bandages Heero up and gave poor Duo the verbal thrashing of his life."

Wiping his eye with mirth, my partner finishes the story, "Yeah, somehow I save the damsel in distress and I was the bad guy. Pretty confusing for my first day in the war!"

I looked around at my family when I realized when no one was laughing. In fact, everyone but my little sister looked slightly angry at us while the little girl was looking worried. "What? Did we say something wrong?"  I can hear Maxwell ask.

"We don't discuss the war," Seung explained harshly.  "You should remember that Wu Fei.  Our family was peaceful and our father was against the war entirely."

"Did you fight in the war, Mr. Maxwell?" my mother asked in a cold voice.  I had never heard her speak like that. 

"I cannot lie, Ma'am.  I fought in the war."

There was a deafening silence in the house for what seemed like an eternity.  I just watched my family as they regarded my mother.  She was looking at Duo like he had just signed his own death warrant.  I guess you could say that he had in a way.  Admitting that you were involved in the war was admitting that you fought and killed people.  Those were things that my family did not condone.  It had been part of my reasoning for fighting so hard to get out of piloting Nataku.  My father had despised war and I kept thinking about how angry he would be to find out that I was fighting in it. Now that he was dead… Oh gods.  He died in the war, which would make everyone in my family despise the war even more now. 

"Wu Fei," my mother starts.  "I want your friend to leave and to understand that any murdering soldier – I do not care which side for they all were murderers – is not welcome in our home."

Maxwell looked at me sadly and started for the door. I grabbed his arm and made him stay put. "Mother, if you are making my friend leave, then I will have to leave also.  I am sorry but the circumstances being what they were; I had no other choice but to fight."

"Then leave as well," my mother replied as she looked away from us. I walked out of the room with Maxwell beside me.  While we were putting our shoes on, I could hear Jai-Li protesting that she still wanted to see me.  Seung reprimanded her and I could hear the little girl whimper. Maxwell ushered me out the door and closed it behind us. 

"You can talk to them again when they calm down," he explained.  "They don't want to understand right now. Give them time."

It was not much reassurance.  Maxwell did not know how stubborn my family was. I let him know that.

He just laughed at me.  "I know exactly how stubborn they are.  And I would have to say that you're the pot calling the kettle black."

I just hoped he was right.

Tbc. 


End file.
